Childish Grins, Hazel Eyes
by nevergone4ever
Summary: When you know there's somebody back home that you want to fight for, you'll do anything to get back to them. For Cloe- happy belated birthday. Closs.


**Gloss**

_~I built my castle tall~_

Constance von Trapp.

The first time I saw her, it was just a glimpse- flashing, childish eyes and a mop of buttery blond hair. She was beautiful, and I'm pretty sure she knew it with every step she sashayed and every smile she threw out. She knew she had the world on a string, tied around her finger.

The split second that her voice pierced the air at the Reaping, my breath hitched. I leaned forward. She mounted the stage, fingers rubbing a bit of pinkish material between them. Her smile coyly played on her lips as her breath ghosted over the microphone.

She was stunning, and at that moment, every man within four-hundred miles could see that.

It was then when my mindset made up a plan- get the girl, sweep her off her feet. Send her luxurious sponsor gifts. Help her ultimately become victor. And then, marry her.

It was that silly smile that formed my plan.

_~This is my kingdom~_

I watched her closely as she trained. Every plotted snap of her wrist, flicking that rondel forward, made my heart thump all the more. That Capitol-issued jumpsuit, rolled down to expose a thin black tank top. That hair ribbon, tying that thick blond hair up.

And when she'd come back from training, we'd flirt, exchanging smiles and occasionally holding hands. Her shallow district partner was horrified, as was my fellow mentor, my sister. Though our love was unorthodox, they had no right to judge. We blatantly ignored them.

Sometimes it got too much. Cashmere would lash out at me. "She's going to die, Gloss!" she'd shout. "She's weak, she'll never make it!"

I sadly turned my back on my own sister, never regretting anything. If she didn't accept my and Constance's relationship, she had no business being in my life.

_~I want you and no one else~_

She won.

Carving her rondel deep into the young flesh, crimson staining her hands. With an almost animalistic look to her, ragged appearance and straggly hair and all, I was never more in love.

She cried that night, tears rolling down her tanned cheeks. She felt so much emotion for those whose blood she had spilled.

And I was there to comfort her, with my muscled arms reaching across her.

_~Empty me of myself~_

It was autumn. The leaves were ghosting over the streets of District One, making a beautiful ring of orange and red. Rustling noises created by these leaves was the soundtrack as we walked alongside the quiet river.

She was wearing a vermillion coat and dark jeans.

I slipped my hand inside my own coat pocket, feeling the square box jutting into my hand. I knew it was time.

We lowered ourselves onto a bench, Constance smiling and giggling lightly. Her eyes were full of joy at just being around me, and all I wanted her to know was that the feeling was entirely mutual.

I slid to the ground. Her breath hitched and she gasped, fighting back tears.

I held up the box. Nervousness flooded my mind, and my tongue was numb. No words came to my mouth but "I love you, Constance. Marry me?"

Her fingers laced themselves behind my neck and she giggled, so carefree. "Yes," she said simply. "You're my rhythm, you're my muse. You're everything to me, Gloss Catch." Her gleeful tone was music to my ears. "I will marry you."

And for that day, the world was happy. Constance's ring finger was now adorned with a band of shimmering silver, and it was that band that brought us closer together than ever.

_~Until the only thing that's left is more of you~_

It was mere days before the day that would bond us together for life, but Constance was getting cold feet.

"I'm scared, Gloss," she confided as we absent-mindedly gazed at the newest Reapings, to see our tributes' competition. "Not just for Admira and Ruther, but for us. Our new life." Her eyelashes had droplets of water on them.

"You don't ever have to be scared around me, Constance," I whispered, tracing a heart on her cheek with my fingertip. "You're everything to me. If I left you, I'd be a lost cause."

She snuggled closer to my side, resting her head on my shoulder. "That's all I wanted to hear, Gloss."

_~Less of me~_

Her dress was white, dripping in expensive teardrop diamonds and trimmed with lace. Her sheer veil was quick to be pushed up as we leaned in for a gentle, kind kiss. Her eyes watched mine with curiosity as I spoke my vows. My brown eyes gazed lovingly at Constance as she whispered her own.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife!"

The one sentence that changed everything.

Our lips met, and I was certain Connie would hear my loud heartbeat.

But no, she simply smiled with that same childish grin that she had at the Reaping.

"Gloss Catch?" she whispered.

My heart flooded with passion and love. "Yes, Constance Catch?"

"I love you."

"I love _you_."

_~All I want~_

Even with an enlarged belly, she looked stunning.

Even when she whined, moaned, and hissed at me out of sheer emotions, Connie was still the most beautiful, amazing woman in the world.

"Gloss," she'd groan, "did you take out the trash?"

"Yes," I'd answer fondly, despite her constant absent-minded, constant insults and curses. "And I did the dishes, as well."

That's when I'd draw her in for a kiss, one that nobody could take away from us. Our life, then, was perfect.

_~All I need~_

Ceres was her name.

**Constance**

_~ Fill the void up with silver noise ~_

One slash.

That's all it took. One final _swish_ of the rondel, over her exposed pale throat. A mixture of crimson and black, slowly oozing out in a sickly crescent sealed the deal. Trickling, trickling, trickling…

But I didn't look back at her. Couldn't.

Once the deed was done, all I did was hover over her uncertainly, watching as her eyes faded slowly, devoid of life. No life. No soul. She was so vibrant, apparently got so many sponsors. In interviews her charisma and charm was clear, blond hair bouncing and skin-tight dress tearing a bit at the seams, showing her distaste for the pretentious Capitol stuff.

But now… she's gone.

It was my fault, just like it was for my ally. One of the, in the dead of night. The second, in burning rain, like acid.

The trumpets blare triumphantly. Somebody's yelling my name, pronouncing me as victor.

I did it.

I, Constance von Trapp, have defied the odds.

The thumping of my heart, along with the word 'Gloss' resonates in my mind.

_~ Reach for my hand, 'cause it's held out to you ~_

His arms, they're all that I feel as I run into him. Gloss. I made it home for him, only him. I promised I would, and I did.

"Connie, Connie," he keeps whispering, tears staining his flat cheeks.

"I made it."

"Yes, you did." His tone is filled with disbelief. But aside from that, there's other emotions mingling. Respect. Awe. Happiness. Amity. Love.

"You know that I did it for you, right?"

I pull back from him slightly, gazing into those hazel eyes that make me melt, framed by those short lashes. "You and no one else, Gloss."

He can't speak. Choked by emotion, his arms tighten around me like a drawstring. "You are…" he begins, his voice strained with emotion.

I wait for him to finish, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

"You are amazing, Connie."

_~ The closest thing to touching my heart is touching my lips ~_

Our last date that we were accepted as a couple. Sheer bliss. We share kisses over a dinner full of starry eyes, gentle touches, and stringy beef. The food sucks, but all that matters is our beings, as one. Two souls, slowly but surely intertwining as one.

We talk a walk after the chocolate mousse. Down by the river, where young children splash around playfully, fish dart underneath the cover of rippling water, and where skittish young couples share their first embraces. Usually bristling with noise, yet tonight it was silent, as if it were expecting something of us.

Gloss chooses a bench near the shallow part of the creek. The rippling water is clear, glossed over with the faint sheen of the moon. My eye catches something. Murmuring a faint excuse to him, my eye on the trinket in the water, I move forward, crouching to retrieve it.

A ring.

Golden, engraved with a simple but shimmering gorgeous diamond.

Beautiful.

"I wonder who lost this," I mutter to myself, stretching my legs as I stroll back to the bench.

Gloss watches me carefully, an apprehensive look on his face.

"Did you see the other trinket in the water?" he asks. Before I have a chance to question him, he's moving, brushing past me to the edge of the water. Sticking half-out of the sand is something that I missed. A drenched piece of paper, waterlogged, with a stain of blue ink smeared across the center.

I stare at it, not quite comprehending.

He turns to me, biting his lip gently and meeting my eyes. "Connie?" he says nervously, holding the fragile slip of paper out to me.

The spidery words spell out something.

_Will vou marrv mo?_

My eyes rapidly fill with tears, my heart hammering against my ribcage. I nod briskly, sporadically, staring at the small note. Its misshapen letters are… amazing.

"Yes," I manage. "Gloss, I will. God, yes."

_~ When you are the starring role in someone else's heart ~_

My dress is the most pristine white color, trimmed with raindrop-shaped diamonds and pearls. It looked stunning to me in the shop, and inside the mirror, but now, with my new haircut, it just looks gaudy. Like I'm some toddler playing dress-up.

For whatever reason, Cashmere is there to assist me, even though she's never really approved of Gloss and I. Support, maybe?

She brushes through my newly cut hair, humming to herself as she goes. My eye catches hers in the mirror, but my gaze is quickly averted. I opt to look further down at her gorgeous sapphire bridesmaid dress. She must be so proud of her baby brother.

"Getting cold feet?" she whispers.

_Just insecurity_, I yearn to say. Instead, my mouth works on its own. "No, I'm just terrified of the things to come."

She smirks. "What happened to the tall, cocky, messy girl from two years ago, Constance?"

She's right. Two years ago I was nothing more than a silly girl in the arena, blinded by a crush. Arrogant. Cheeky. Somewhat bitter, wanting to prove her worth.

But now I'm older. Sager. I'm much more open and optimistic, my ego not so fragile. It's like love has opened so many doors for me. Victory was nothing, a simple hurtle that I barreled over easily to get to the real prize- Gloss. Gloss Amadeus Catch.

I shake my head, coming to my feet and moving towards the silver-framed window. Outside, the church bells clang together in a merry tune, and the air reeks of sweet roses. The sky is robins-egg-blue, tainted with a couple of clouds, fluffy like cotton balls.

Everything is how I wanted it. So how come I feel so out of place?

_~ We're all very lovely as we get to know each other ~_

"We shouldn't be doing this," I breathe.

"Who's stopping us?" he winks.

My dress is neatly cut short, trimmed just above my knees. My perfectly-done blond hair is now loose, freely flowing around my shoulders. Nothing in it but a precariously-propped tiara, seeing as the veil was shed ages ago.

_Elope._

The very word tastes sweet on my tongue as I whisper it to myself, over and over and over. Gloss looks furtively back and forth as we cross the road, him carrying me bridal style – how appropriate – and the both of us giggling madly, like we're nothing more than a duo of love-stricken teenagers. Which we are. Sort of.

The priest was very kind about the entire thing, marrying us without a question. We kissed sweetly, everybody sighed in appreciation, and that was when we bolted.

"No shiny rings, pretentious things for us." We'd both agreed. After about a few hours we'd come back, maybe catch a dance or two at our own wedding reception. After a long chat with his sister Cashmere, she had reluctantly agreed to cover for us. Tell everybody that we planned to make an entrance.

But for now, all we had was the splendid birch forest by the river, and each other.

There was no other place I'd rather be. I leaned in for a kiss.

_~ The void is shut, never to be gaping again ~_

The plus sign. It was a beginning, really. The start of new life and sheer bliss.

I had already found a name for her.

Ceres.

The name itself was passed down through generations. Traditional, rolling off the tongue. Gloss's great-grandmother had picked it for herself after the Dark Days, when she had the opportunity to reinvent herself. It meant 'great power and control'.

To me, it meant my new life.

_~ We give and take a little more ~_

The pregnancy itself was not fun at all. Despite how many kisses, compliments, embraces, and gifts that I was showered with, I was both uncomfortable and anxious.

I've always been a bit of a narcissist, so whenever I peered inside a mirror I'd cry out in disbelief. My swollen stomach felt like it was carrying a whale, and I hated it.

My cheeks were constantly ruddy from struggling to get around. My feet, enlarged. I couldn't enjoy anything, be it Gloss's attention, delicious and expensive foods, or the fact that Cashmere was a new mother. Carisa, my niece, was red-cheeked and always giggling. I could only watch in hope that Ceres would grow to her full potential, as Carisa would.

Whenever my prep team swooped by to prep me for an occasional interview, it was like every small pain, every strip of paper peeled off my skin or hot lotion smeared over my cuticles, was magnified. There wasn't a day I wasn't in pain.

And yet, Caesar told me I was beautiful, and the baby would be as well.

His comments were crystal clear to me. I could tell he was lying through his teeth the same way he fibbed to save the spirit of a young tribute. "I'm sure you'll to great with that stealth of yours." "You're sure to be a crowd favorite, Elisi." "You're stunning, Constance."

_~ Despite hardships, we fall in love all the time ~_

She was born with her mouth extended in a loud shriek, blasting through my ears. Even though she was red all over, hands outstretched high to the sky, she was beautiful.

Gloss's arm slipped over my shoulders as I accepted her into my arms.

She was… beautiful.

_~ And all my life I've tried to fight what history has given me ~_

**A/N:**

**This was originally intended to be a birthday gift to Cloe (LokiThisIsMadness) but… I couldn't take my laptop on my trip ;_; So, I suppose it's a happy belated birthday gift. I hope you like it, Cloe! :) Closs!**


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